8 Pieces Of Overwhelming Evidence That Vince McMahon Is Not A Visionary

5. Stupid Ideas, Part I: WWF New York/WWE Niagara Falls

No one can fully explain why McMahon believed that clubbing and pro wrestling were an excellent combination€ but believe it he apparently did, with the late 1999 opening of WWF New York, later renamed The World when the WWF became the WWE. McMahon had apparently not checked out his demographic, or possibly even met a wrestling fan before. The club and attached retail store would be plugged on television and in other WWF/E related media for just over three years until the plug was mercifully pulled in February 2003. That failure didn€™t stop McMahon opening a retail store €“ complete with theme park style gimmickry, including a ride called the Piledriver €“ in Niagara Falls, Canada in 2002. The store sold merchandise and held autograph signings, and large screens displayed pay-per-view events to customers. Why have their own themed, hugely expensive retail outlet? Why place it at Niagara Falls? There€™s probably a reason, but if there is, very few can guess what it might be. Merchandise was horrendously overpriced €“ one fan quotes the price of a Ric Flair DVD at sixty dollars, on €˜sale€™ for twenty-five €“ and common consensus amongst wrestling fans is that the place rarely ever seemed busy. The lease finally expired in 2011, and the shop and some of the props were turned over for a small fee to a company running a more general Niagara Falls gift shop experience, which incorporated some of the wrestling gimmicks for a while to cater to the occasional fan.